Many big moonshots fail not because of the technology but because of the lack of coordination and for, perhaps the first time ever, we now have both thanks to the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative
A while ago I wrote an article about how, given all of todays technology advances we could see a way for Generation Z to become the worlds first “immortal generation” and now that Mark Zuckerberg and wife Priscilla Chan have ploughed $3 Billion into an ambitious project to make the world disease free within their children’s lifetime, through the Chan Zuckerberg Biohub, part of the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, it’s a goal that looks within reach.
As Dakota Gruener, head of the ambitious ID2020 project recently told me, sometimes it’s not the technology that holds you back – it’s the coordination.
In a recent Facebook post, Zuckerberg shared a photo of the initiative’s science team, and commented on the groups goals.
So beating Zuck’s goal looks easily achievable – the challenge however will come from the fact that, while we can create new artificial humans, for example, who could be resistant to every known disease the group has to deal with the “legacy” issues of regulations, morals and ethics. Yes, we can already create designer babies who don’t inherit conditions from their parents – so the technology is already here, but should we? Yes, we can cut HIV genes out of the cells of living patients, but what are unintended genetic side effects? And so on and so on. All of these, and millions more questions and risks like them are all serious questions that today scientists and governments are struggling to grapple with, and that tomorrow they will struggle with even more as today’s revolutionary healthcare technologies get better.
As Zuckerberg points out in the post: “Life expectancy has increased by 1/4 year for each year in the past century. If we just continue that progress, average life expectancy will be about 100 by the end of this century – meaning we’ll have cured many of the diseases that prevent us from reaching that age today.”
As well as the groups Infectious Disease Initiative, Biohub is also focused on the Cell Atlas project, a million dollar effort that aims to map all 3.5 Trillion cells in the human body so, as you can see – the group has plenty to keep them busy, and it’ll be exciting to watch them work – althrough admittedly it’s be more exciting to be involved, but maybe just not as a patient…
Matthew Griffin, described as “The Adviser behind the Advisers” and a “Young Kurzweil,” is the founder and CEO of the World Futures Forum and the 311 Institute, a global Futures and Deep Futures consultancy working between the dates of 2020 to 2070, and is an award winning futurist, and author of “Codex of the Future” series.
Regularly featured in the global media, including AP, BBC, Bloomberg, CNBC, Discovery, RT, Viacom, and WIRED, Matthew’s ability to identify, track, and explain the impacts of hundreds of revolutionary emerging technologies on global culture, industry and society, is unparalleled. Recognised for the past six years as one of the world’s foremost futurists, innovation and strategy experts Matthew is an international speaker who helps governments, investors, multi-nationals and regulators around the world envision, build and lead an inclusive, sustainable future.
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Hey David, it’s a valid point – while there are technologies coming online to help cope with the explosion in population growth (such as vertical farming, genetically engineered crops, biomicrobe agriculture, nanotech water filtration systems, more affordable and accessible renewable energy technologies, global energy super grids and so on…) maybe it will give society the final nudge it needs to follow in Elon Musks footsteps and become a true interplanetary species – or all bedlam will break loose.
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David Vlok#1
In a world already battling with over population, is this a good thing?